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Liveaboard Diving in Koh Bon

What To Expect On A Koh Bon Liveaboard

Liveaboards to Koh Bon take divers to this remote uninhabited limestone island in the shape of a horseshoe to the north of Similan Island no.9. As with Koh Tachai it is within speedboat distance of Khao Lak but unlike it, there are no beaches here so water entry is strictly from the boat only. This isolated island in the middle of the Andaman Sea is covered with forests and plants and poorly sheltered from the elements in bad weather. Koh Bon Ridge and Koh Bon Pinnacle are considered two of the best dive sites in Thailand. The marine life here is abundant and there is a manta ray cleaning station so high probability of seeing these majestic creatures. Not as popular a dive site as its surrounding partners in the Andaman Sea, it means this site can be a wonderfully quiet one to dive, a refreshing change in the busy season of April - May. Koh Bon offers a beautiful selection of marine life and dived responsibly is a great destination on your liveaboard journey.

What You Can See

The underwater terrain of Koh Bon Ridge, on the southwestern corner, starts with a ridge that drops off to depths of up to 45m. A significant vertical drop, the wall here is covered in zigzag clams, anemones and soft corals, notice their variation and changing spectrum of colors the deeper you go. The wall is worth investigating closely for critters and makes a good first deep dive. Its bay is quite sheltered and with minimal current provides a good spot for night dives also. The western side of the ridge is covered in strikingly beautiful coral formations and sea fans of different shapes and sizes and slopes down gently. These coral formations provide shelter for a varied marine life. On your liveaboard dive cruise, it is common to see resting Leopard Sharks or nurse sharks on the sandy bottom as well as the common morays, triggerfish, lionfish, and sweetlips. The banded sea snake, octopus, batfish and mantis shrimp, pipefish, and the rare frogfish are exciting additions to these waters, albeit what all divers aim to witness is the gentle gliding of the Manta Ray, here to feed and be cleaned. A dive can sometimes just involve hanging around in one spot while these curious black and white majestic beings circle and hover over you, enjoying your bubbles, demonstrating the perfect buoyancy, and then showing off their acrobatic skills.

Koh Bon Pinnacle, to the west, is more exposed, suitable for the experienced diver, and suggested only in good conditions. With depths of 18-40m, the pinnacles jet out to around 25m high. With a mountainous look and feel, this small site is definitely far from boring. The reef's sloping wall is covered in yellow soft coral, hiding decorator crabs, moray eels, and their cleaner shrimps and shrimp-gobies peering out of the holes. Look into the blue for passing eagle rays, blacktip reef sharks or manta rays. The currents can be strong here and may attract Manta Rays as well.

Getting There

The best way to get to Koh Bon is on a Thailand liveaboard trip to the Surin Islands, which will depart from either Phuket or Khao Lak. Further from Phuket than from Khao Lak, (200 km north of Phuket and 80 km northwest of Khao Lak), it is worth checking what port you prefer to depart from. Khao Lak is about 100km north of Phuket and can be reached overland. Please check your itinerary before purchasing flight tickets. There are international flights into Phuket and/or domestic flights from Bangkok to Phuket. As part of the Similan Islands, the area is closed between the months of May to October.

Koh Bon Diving Reviews

9.2 Superb
57 Verified Reviews

6.8 Review score
Jeffery C
United States

Poor viz, 3 dives and no sighting of the legendary manta ray

Diving Koh Bon in December on the Camic

10.0 Exceptional
Andrey D
Russia

Great wall diving, beautiful landscapes and corals, lots of small fish and a couple of turtles

Diving Koh Bon in February on the Oktavia

10.0 Exceptional
Rod B
United Kingdom

Three dives on West Ridge and encounters with oceanic mantas on each one. A life changing experience for me. As a returning 65 year old who hadn’t dived for many years thanks for guiding me to these most thrilling, amazing sites.

Diving Koh Bon in March on the The Junk

10.0 Exceptional
Chi Hung Eddie K
Hong Kong

Many species can be found here

Diving Koh Bon in February on the Camic

10.0 Exceptional
Sabrina K
Germany

Mantas, nothing more to say ;)

Diving Koh Bon in February on the The Junk

10.0 Exceptional
Tomaz J
Slovenia

Great diving spot, huge diversity of fish

Diving Koh Bon in January on the The Junk

9.6 Exceptional
Pierre B
France

Beautiful site! Great fishes and nudibranches

Diving Koh Bon in February on the The Junk

7.6 Good
Richard W
United Kingdom

Great site but very poor visibility

Diving Koh Bon in February on the Oktavia

9.2 Superb
Stephen B
Australia

My favourite site, this is where we had the whale shark and about 3 manta rays circling and feeding for about 40 minutes on the western ridge. There must have been nutrient rich currents or thermoclines to have such a gathering and I was in awe, like a sequence from a dream.

Diving Koh Bon in February on the Oktavia

9.2 Superb
Chuen Chu C
Hong Kong

Nice. Manta and whale shakrs appeared together.

Diving Koh Bon in February on the Oktavia

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Liveaboard Diving in Koh Bon

What To Expect On A Koh Bon Liveaboard

What You Can See

Getting There

Koh Bon Diving Reviews

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